All guides
Compare cashback, rewards and frequent flyer credit cards in Australia: what points are really worth, annual fees, balance transfers, the 2026 surcharge ban and your credit card rights.
Card Costs, Comparisons and 2026 Rules
- Annual fee vs rewards value: is a points credit card worth the fee?
How to tell whether a rewards or frequent flyer card's annual fee is worth paying in Australia, with break-even spending, perk valuation and illustrative worked examples.
- Compare cashback, rewards and frequent flyer credit cards in Australia (2026)
How to compare cashback, bank points and frequent flyer credit cards in Australia in 2026 by net value after fees, interest and redemption, plus the rules that changed this year.
- Credit card Key Facts Sheet explained: rates, fees and what the law requires
How to read an Australian credit card Key Facts Sheet, the difference between purchase, cash advance and balance transfer rates, and rules on payments, over-limit fees and interest.
- How banks assess a credit card limit: the three-year repayment rule
Why Australian card issuers test whether you could repay the whole credit limit within three years, how that affects approval and limits on rewards cards, and what you can do.
- Foreign transaction fees on Australian credit cards: travel and overseas online shopping
How foreign transaction fees, currency conversion and dynamic currency conversion work on Australian credit cards, and when they cancel out rewards points on overseas spending.
- Interest-free days on credit cards explained (and how you lose them)
How "up to 44" or "up to 55" interest-free days work on Australian credit cards, why the real number depends on the purchase date, and the actions that switch them off.
- Card surcharge ban from 1 October 2026 and the RBA's new interchange caps
What the Reserve Bank's 2026 decision means for cardholders: no surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa from 1 October 2026, lower interchange caps, and possible effects on rewards.
Worked Examples and Checklists
- Balance transfer revert rate: worked example and the payment you need
How an Australian 0% balance transfer works, what happens to the balance when the promotion ends, the monthly payment needed to clear it in time, and the traps on new purchases.
- Credit card cash advance costs in Australia: fees and interest from day one
What counts as a cash advance on an Australian credit card, how the fee and daily interest add up, cash-like transactions to watch for, and an illustrative cost example.
- Cashback vs points vs low-rate card: which comes out ahead? (worked example)
Three illustrative Australian credit cards compared over two years for a cardholder who pays in full and one who carries a balance, with every step of the arithmetic shown.
- How much are frequent flyer points worth? Cents-per-point worked example
How to work out what frequent flyer and credit card points are worth in Australia, in cents per point, after taxes and carrier charges, transfer ratios and the cash fare you would really pay.
- Minimum Repayment Warning on your credit card statement: worked example
What the Minimum Repayment Warning on an Australian credit card statement shows, how the figures are calculated under the credit regulations, and an illustrative payoff comparison.
- Rewards credit card worked examples: the full calculation, step by step
A step-by-step method for testing any Australian cashback, points or frequent flyer card with your own numbers, with an illustrative household worked through from spend to net value.
- Credit card sign-up bonus points: is the bonus worth it? (worked example)
How to value a credit card sign-up bonus in Australia: minimum spend, deadlines, first-year fees, eligibility exclusions and the cost of holding the card afterwards, with illustrative numbers.
Pitfalls, Protections and Official Sources
- Buy now pay later vs credit card in 2026: what changed from 10 June 2025
How buy now pay later compares with a credit card in Australia since BNPL became regulated credit on 10 June 2025: costs, surcharges, rewards, disputes and credit reporting.
- Credit card complaints in Australia: issuer, AFCA and the official sources to check
How to complain about a credit card issuer in Australia, step by step: internal dispute resolution, AFCA, ASIC, the OAIC and free help, plus a list of official sources for card rules in 2026.
- Credit card fraud, chargebacks and the ePayments Code in Australia
What to do about unauthorised or disputed credit card transactions in Australia: chargebacks under card scheme rules, the ePayments Code on who bears losses, scams, and escalating to AFCA.
- How credit cards affect your credit report in Australia: limits, enquiries and repayments
What a credit card adds to an Australian credit report under comprehensive credit reporting, how limits and applications affect later borrowing, and how to manage rewards cards around a home loan.
- Credit limit increases, reducing your limit and cancelling a card online
Australian rules on credit card limits: the ban on unsolicited limit increase offers, how to request or refuse an increase, reducing your limit or closing a card online, and over-limit fees.
- Points expiry, devaluation and cancelling a rewards card without losing value
How credit card and frequent flyer points can expire or lose value in Australia, what to do when a program changes, and how to cancel or downgrade a rewards card without forfeiting points.
- Rewards credit card mistakes Australians make (and what to do instead)
The most common ways rewards, cashback and frequent flyer cards cost Australians money, from carrying a balance to expired points, with illustrative numbers and the fix for each.